- Viral video shows heartbroken athlete’s appeal to UN to keep women’s sports fair – and female-only
- Track athlete Chelsea Mitchell is undertaking a lawsuit against sporting authorities after having lost opportunities and accolades to male competitors
- In panel co-ordinated by ADF International, Olympic legend Sharron Davies and UN Special Rapporteur Reem Alsalem join Mitchell in condemning “the sporting crime of the 21st century”
GENEVA (28th June 2024) – Ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics next month, female athletes have taken to the United Nations to call for fairness in women’s sports, in light of ideological policies allowing males to compete in women’s races, despite their irrepressible biological advantage.
In a now-viral video, college athlete Chelsea Mitchell joined British Olympic swimming legend Sharron Davies on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council, testifying as to her “gut-wrenching” experience losing out on opportunities and awards to male competitors.
Mitchell, a track runner, lost “countless opportunities” – including four Connecticut state championships – to male athletes.
With support from Alliance Defending Freedom, Mitchell has filed a lawsuit against her state’s sports authority, on the basis of unfair competition.
Mitchell’s case is one of five legal actions ADF attorneys have brought in the United States to defend women’s sports. The Biden Administration is attempting to radically redefine “sex” in the Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 to include “gender identity,” gutting equal opportunities for women and girls, threatening privacy and safety, and eliminating fairness in women’s sports.
Speaking on a panel hosted by ADF International on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mitchell said:
“I worked hard to be in the running to win a state championship—and four times—I watched as that title went to a male athlete. It was heartbreaking. But what was even more frustrating was knowing that two males were being named state champion, while us girls were being pushed to the background in our sport.
“Over their high school careers, the male athletes collectively won 15 women’s state championship titles—titles that were held by nine different girls in 2016. They set 17 new individual meet records and eliminated girls from advancement opportunities more than 85 times.
“Losing a state championship is hard—but losing because the race isn't fair is gut-wrenching."
A worldwide concern for female athletes
More than 100 elite British sportswomen told the BBC in March that they would be uncomfortable with males competing in female categories in their sport. However, many have expressed fears over sharing their opinion publicly because of concerns they would be seen as “discriminatory”.
Addressing government and UN officials during a side event at the 56th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies compared the inclusion of men in women’s sports to the drug-enhancement scandal of the 1980s. Davies lost out on winning gold due to an East German competitor who had been given an unfair advantage, having been supplied with testosterone as a teenager to improve her performance.
Davies explained that many of the female winners who had been injected with testosterone in the 1980s went on to suffer long-term health problems, which also impacted the next generation with birth defects. Furthermore, their female competitors who lost out on medals due to cheating were never recognized for their rightful achievements.
Reflecting on her UN engagement, Davies commented:
“Having lived through the injustice of my time, I know the importance of ensuring fairness for female athletes today. We know that the physical attributes caused by testosterone give males an unfair and irreversible advantage – yet time and time again, they are given a ticket to compete in female-only events, causing worthy female competitors to lose out.”
This is the sporting crime of the 21st Century. What is happening to women and girl athletes is a far-reaching human rights abuse with egregious implications for not only fairness and safety, but also for their opportunities to succeed in sports, scholarship opportunities, and beyond.
As this issue comes to a head, it is imperative that the international community do all it can to defend the basic human rights of women and girls in sports.”
The sports panel, highlighting the risks that including males in women’s sports can pose to the safety and opportunities of women, was co-hosted by ADF International and the Permanent Mission of the Gambia.
“This is the sporting crime of the 21st Century. What is happening to women and girl athletes is a far-reaching human rights abuse with egregious implications for not only fairness and safety, but also for their opportunities to succeed in sports, scholarship opportunities, and beyond."
Girls’ locker room safety at risk
In December 2023, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, Reem Alsalem, publicly warned the Biden Administration that altering the definition of women in “Title IX” would result in “unfair treatment and unlawful and extreme forms of discrimination against most women and girls on the basis of female sex” and “undermine the access of women and girls in sports to equal opportunity as well as undermine their overall participation in society and public life.”
Furthermore, she detailed that the forced erasure of female-only facilities could result in “loss of privacy, an increased risk of physical injury, heightened exposure to sexual harassment and voyeurism, as well as a more frequent and accumulated psychological distress due to the loss of privacy and fair and equal sporting and academic opportunities.”
Giorgio Mazzoli, Director of UN Advocacy for ADF International who moderated the panel discussion, said:
“Female sports and spaces belong to women and girls. Sports federations, national governments, and the United Nations can no longer ignore the voices of women and girls whose achievements have been directly affected by male participation in female sports categories. Female athletes have equal rights to fairness, safety, and privacy, both on and off the playing field. Authorities must follow the science and steadfastly uphold the integrity and fairness of female sport.”
Images for free use in print or online in relation to this story only
Pictured, left to right: Chelsea Mitchell; Sharron Davies MBE; Reem Asaleem, H.E. Mr. Muhammadou M.O. Kah (Ambassador, the Permanent Mission of the Gambia); Giorgio Mazzoli (ADF International)
